Steve McEllistrem

The Devereaux Dilemma

In a future where religion and disease have brought social order to the verge of collapse, and where some humans have been biologically and others mechanically enhanced, Jeremiah Jones must find the one man who might be able to fix everything. Problem is, that man – Walt Devereaux – may have created bio-weapons that could wipe out humanity. Is Devereaux really a dangerous man? Or is Jeremiah simply a pawn in a deadly game? Who can he trust? The nun who is sheltering Devereaux? Jeremiah’s ex-partner and former lover, who betrayed him? The Attorney General, who hopes to capture Devereaux to catapult himself to the presidency? Surrounded by questions, the only way Jeremiah will learn the truth is by battling the transgenic Escala and their sworn enemies, the mechanically enhanced Elite Ops. And the odds of survival are slim.

“Fans of classic Heinlein-esque science fiction will enjoy The Devereaux Dilemma by Steve McEllistrem. The Devereaux Dilemma is full of complex plot twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. McEllistrem writes gripping, action-packed scenes with eye-popping tech and well-imagined future combat.”

“With so many science fiction visions of tomorrow out there, it’s hard to come across new stories that are fresh and vital. The Devereaux Dilemma captures and delivers a well-conceived world of complex human characters and believable technologies – all set against a backdrop of thrilling political intrigue. Steve McEllistrem has created a searingly vivid portrayal of a very possible future.”

-Jeffrey Morris, FutureDude and author of Venus: Daedalus One

“The Devereaux Dilemma continually hints at questions environmental ethicists have been asking for decades: If we know that life in all forms is connected, if we know that evolution continues and sometimes occurs more rapidly than Darwin predicted, doesn’t it make sense that our most advanced future rests in moving away from genetic tampering for simple corporate-military gain and toward, instead, what Aldo Leopold hoped would be our social-ecological evolution?Steve McEllistrem, like many in his genre, shows us the best and the worst based on current scientific and political trends. Will human evolution and our relationship with Earth proceed with selfish, power-enhancing mutations, or will we let it proceed on a more natural course? Nature, after all, is capable of succeeding our human built environments much like the trees in McEllistrem’s abandoned subdivision grow through deserted homes – stretching walls and lifting windows – an image that burns in the mind as a symbol of our species’ terrible transparency.Thankfully, the organic, less controlled world lives on. I only hope the Escala don’t leave for Mars.”

-Maryann Lesert, author of Base Ten (Women Writing Science Project)

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The Devereaux Disaster

Retired secret agent Jeremiah Jones travels to the Moon with his former enemy, Elite Ops trooper Jack Marschenko, to find his abducted son Joshua. But Jeremiah’s mission goes haywire almost immediately. Elias Leach, the head of CINTEP and Jeremiah’s former boss, is behind the abduction and has constructed obstacles to prevent Jeremiah from recovering his son. Elias needs Joshua and his fellow cadets to attack specific targets on Earth. He believes that only an attack from an outside force like the cadets can unite the world’s warring factions. However, unbeknownst to Elias, the cadets he programmed have begun to devolve and they have no intention of following his directives. Further, after Jeremiah is gravely injured, he is infected with the Susquehanna Virus in a desperate attempt to save his life. Can Jeremiah stop his son and the rest of the cadets from attacking Earth? Can Walt Devereaux and the genetically enhanced Escala help? Or is Earth doomed?

… There’s plenty of adventure and plenty of interesting characters throughout the course of this well written book. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t seem to put it down. I was drawn into the way Jeremiah fought and continued to fight as his son was at risk. This wasn’t just your typical ‘saving the world’ story…

A group of fanatics has created a virus that could wipe out humanity. Retired secret agent Jeremiah Jones and the reformed cadets Curtik and Zora, who almost destroyed the world while under a compulsion, somehow have to stop the terrorists before the virus reaches a tipping point. The problem is, none of them know where to find Susquehanna Sally. Complicating matters, the genius Walt Devereaux has been stricken by the virus and a decision must be made – should they let him die or do whatever is necessary to save his mind? From Indonesia to London to Washington D.C., the race is on to save the world.

Meanwhile, a Chinese spaceship approaching Mars and the Escala colony refuses to acknowledge all efforts to communicate with it. Who is on that ship? And are their intentions hostile? Aspen is determined to discover the truth.

Awards/Honors for The Devereaux Decision:

Finalist,2016 Minnesota Book Award

Finalist,2016 Midwest Book Award

Finalist, 2016 International Book Award.

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The acclaimed fourth book in the Susquehanna Virus series –

The Devereaux Deity

The terrorists who created the Susquehanna Virus have been stopped and the planet is safe once again, or is it? The effects of the virus linger, creating questions about whether all of humanity will be infected. Complicating matters even further, an entity claiming to be God has hacked into multiple computers and performed miracles that have no reasonable explanation other than that a deity has come to Earth. Walt Devereaux and Jeremiah Jones, along with Curtik and Zora, must try to get to the bottom of things and save the world once again.

Finalist – 2017 Midwest Book Award

The Man Who Found His Moniker

The unnamed man walks city streets, haunted by visions he doesn’t understand, tortured by a tragic past, seeking redemption despite questioning whether he deserves it. His visions imply that violence is coming, a horror that he must prevent from occurring. Yet, try as he might, he can’t quite grasp what that event might be. Eventually he comes to understand the visions, enabling him to save lives as a result. But can he save himself?

This little gem of a novel explores the ruminations of a man who more than anything wants to return to a past that cannot be, a man who must come to terms with the reality that is, a man who must find his way back to humanity.

Steve’s newest novel is a coming of age story that blends humor, pathos and philosophy.

Ryan Connelly, nearing forty, has returned to Crescent Township, the small Minnesota town where he grew up, hoping to reconnect with his father. But their relationship was strained even before the death of his mother many years earlier. So he goes about his work, feeling as if he’s standing still while the world passes him by. Then he connects with an old sculptor named John Doe, who begins to carve out a giant boulder that takes the shape of a man emerging from the soil. As the statue progresses, and as Ryan assists the old man in his project, he finds himself opening to the possibilities around him, overcoming his past and rediscovering his passion for living.

In addition, Steve is one of the editors of – and a contributor to – Boundaries Without: The Calumet Editions 2017 Anthology of Speculative Fiction.